


What Am I Gonna Tell Him

by Poetrylivemusic



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Braeden has a secret, Derek Hale Has A Nice Day, F/M, Family, Friendship, Pregnancy, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-12
Updated: 2015-03-01
Packaged: 2018-02-12 19:13:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2121489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Poetrylivemusic/pseuds/Poetrylivemusic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Braeden has been sick lately and Derek is about to find out why.<br/>"What am I gonna tell him?" she stammered, staring off into the distance.<br/>"Tell him you're pregnant." Lydia answered.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. What Am I Gonna Tell Him

**Author's Note:**

> This took me SO LONG to write, like a week legit. It caused me so much stress and I'm glad it's over. You know the drill I don't own anything but wish I did..blah blah..Enjoy loves!!

 

 

 “Babe!!” Derek pleaded as he banged on the door. “Let me in. Are you ok?” he said again in desperation.

 

She was in the bathroom again. A place she had gravitated to a lot recently. He could hear her sharp intake heaving and the rapid beating of her heart. Derek knew that she was panicking,in pain, and he could do nothing to help.

 

“Babe.” He cautioned lowering his tone, halting the knock on the door. He pressed his ear to the surface and listened for her response.

 

She was emptying the contents of last night’s dinner so violently, Derek wanted to hunt down the delivery guy and rip out his throat…with his teeth. He knew that after this, her sore throat would be back.

 

The toilet flushed and her heart rate returned to normal and he stepped away from the door when he could decipher that she had finished washing up.

 

“Brae..are yo-“

 

The bathroom door swung open with a slow breeze and Braeden slogged past him in a daze, patting his chest twice as she made her way back to bed.

 

Derek watched her, hunched over in pain shuffling her bare feet across the loft. He wanted so badly to pick her up and walk for her but he had been through this before. He knew not to touch her, especially not her breasts, because she was sore. He knew not to expose her to harsh light or loud noises because her migraines flared up when this happened. He knew that she wouldn’t feel like eating anything that looked like food at all, and that he was going to have an extremely long day fighting with her to eat. This was Derek’s life and had been for the last month.

 

On his way to the bed he grabbed a washcloth, ran it under the kitchen faucet and brought it to her.

 

“Braeden.” Derek whispered as softly as he could, dabbing her forehead with the cloth. She was the palest he had ever seen, skin a grayish hue. Her eyes closed, deep circles underneath them appearing darker by the second. “You have to go the doctor. You’ve been sick for a while and I have no idea how to help you or what’s wrong. Braeden… Please. Go.” He insisted removing the cloth pressing a feathered kiss to her forehead.

 

She took a shaky breath and pulled the blanket tighter around her aching body.

 

“Ok.” She strangled out weakly, eyes still closed. She could feel Derek staring at her, sighing in relief but she didn’t have the energy to open them as she drifted off into sleep.

 

When she woke up, he was gone and she was met with the emptiness of the spacious loft with too many windows and too much floorspace. Sitting up, she noticed she felt a little better. Her head wasn’t pounding much anymore and her dizziness was gone even though the lights were still on. Swinging her heavy legs out of bed she jumped at the sound of the front door creaking open but relaxed when she recognized the familiar bounce of strawberry blonde curls.

 

“Hey B.” Lydia greeted affectionately, tiptoeing through the door as she set the grocery bags on the kitchen table. She moved a chair,stood on it and unscrewed one light bulb from the overhead ceiling fan gracefully in one fell swoop.

 

Braeden didn’t get the chance to ask her why she was here before she answered in true Lydia fashion. “Derek called me during my study period and since I have a perfect 5.0 GPA despite my erratic extra-curricular schedule of banshee duties, I figured I could skip it and sublimate by taking a trip to China Town Market instead.” She finished beaming with pride,placing the bulb next to the bags.

 

Braeden gave her a questioning look and pulled her robe a little tighter. Confusion still marring her tired face.

 

Lydia rolled her green eyes. “You know, for those extremely hard to find soy sauce crackers you love so much.” She said playfully, pulling out a chair for Braeden.

 

“You didn’t have to do that.”

 

“Of course I did. I know it’s the only thing you can keep down.”

 

And she was right,everything Braeden tried to consume over the past month eventually made a reappearance which is what she always had such a hard time explaining to Derek, who forced her to eat daily.

 

Derek, who called Lydia, who went to the market for crackers he couldn’t find in the local grocery store. Derek, who phoned the only person that could rationalize the importance of nutrition to Braeden without frustrating her. Derek Hale, the werewolf, who was much smarter than he let on.

 

It was all coming together.

 

“Well, Thank you.” Braeden yawned even though she tried to stifle it. She was still tired but happy that Lydia was here for company. They’d had a rocky start as reluctant acquaintances but now they were pretty close, very close actually, and they both fully understood that no one could ever take Allison Argent’s place.Lydia never requested it. Braeden never tried.

 

“How was school?” she inquired, wiping her eyes watching the banshee unpack and shelve the boxes of crackers and bottles of ginger ale from the bags, expertly gliding around the kitchen like it was an ice rink.

 

“Nothing terribly supernatural happened, if that’s what you mean.” She closed a cabinet.

 

“It was actually a quiet day in Beacon Hills.” Lydia went on, pouring soda into a glass. “Probably won’t last though, knowing our reputation.” she said with a hint of sarcasm, putting the soda away and closing the refrigerator door.

 

 

“Sounds…boring.” Braeden countered, amused that Lydia was so comfortable in Derek’s kitchen. But with the amount of late night cooking experiments these two had conducted,failed attempts that turned into memories that became inside jokes,in this very space. It made perfect sense.

 

 

With glass in hand, Lydia sat down across from Braeden. “It was.” She laughed sliding her the cup of ginger ale. “But the real question is how are you feeling?”

 

For a second she contemplated lying but knew that her friend could read her like a book. She hadn’t looked in the mirror all day but could probably guess that she looked about as good as she felt. Terrible.

 

Breaden took a sip before answering, letting the crisp liquid find her voice for her. She told Lydia what happened that morning and listened as the green-eyed beauty queen lectured her about making a doctor’s appointment.

 

“ I know! I know! I’m going tomorrow.” she confessed, rolling her sunken brown eyes. She really didn’t want to go. She had a feeling they were going to tell her the one thing she didn’t want to hear.

 

“Good, because you already know what I think.” Lydia sing-songed, her big green eyes boring into dark chestnut orbs while a slow secret smile played at the corners of her flawlessly glossed lips.

 

“Lydia, don’t start.” Braeden warned, staring her head-on.

 

“I’m just saying all the signs are there!” she quipped throwing up her arms in the air, her earlier smile vanishing.

 

“No. They aren’t! ” Braeden argued, growing frustrated.

 

“Let’s see…” Lydia started counting her perfectly manicured fingers “for starters there’s the constant nausea and dizziness…”

 

“Lydia.”

 

“the severe migraines and extreme fatigue…”

 

“Lydia stop.”

 

“and last the sore-“

 

“Lydia! STOP!” Braeden barked at her, slamming the glass on the table sending rivulets of liquid down the cup.

 

As soon as she did it, she regretted it.

 

Lydia sat back,crossed her arms and sighed. She knew Braeden didn’t want to think about this, let alone talk about it but as her best friend Lydia knew she needed to be the one to say it. However, as she looked across the table and saw Braeden’s resolve crumbling, she started to think better of her direct approach.

 

Deep down, Braeden knew Lydia was right. All the symptoms were in line with a diagnosis she wasn’t ready to receive. She didn’t know if she could handle the news. More importantly, she didn’t know if her relationship with Derek could handle the news. Regardless of her thoughts though, Lydia was just trying to help and didn’t deserve to be yelled at.

 

They stared at each other for while, silently wishing they could redo this conversation.

 

“I’m sorry.” they simultaneously admitted to each other. Braeden flashed an empathetic smile.

 

Their instant laughter broke the silence and Lydia reached for Braeden’s hand.

 

“B, I know you’re scared” Braeden looked down scrutinizing the shine on the stainless steel table. “but just remember that you’re a badass mercenary with a werewolf for a boyfriend. You can handle more than most. You’re not alone. You have Derek…and me.”

 

Braeden turned her gaze toward Lydia, who was smiling at her in a way that could bring color back to Braeden’s pale balmy skin. She squeezed Lydia’s hand in quiet response and fought back the sudden wave of tears in her eyes.

 

“You hungry?” Lydia said pulling her hand away, standing. “How about soy crackers? I hear they’re pretty good.” she winked.

 

Braeden wasn’t the least bit in the mood but for Lydia she would try.

 

“Sure.”

 

* * *

 

 

 

Derek and Scott were meeting for the third time this week at Viniccio’s Pizzaria to talk defense strategies for a particular evil they knew they would have to battle in the coming weeks. One that, for now, was between only the werewolves of Beacon Hills. These casual meet ups started with them choosing their favorite booth in the back by the kitchen door so Scott could watch the pizzas being made. They ordered the same two pies they always did and made sure that they never changed their drink choices. It was business as usual until the conversation took a left turn into personal territory. Scott asked if everything was ok with him & Braeden and Derek had never lied to him before. He wasn’t going to start now.

 

Letting the straw fall into the cup, Scott asked while making bubbles into the glass. “What do you mean she’s acting weird? Weird how?”

 

Ignoring the splashes of root beer on the table from Scott’s cup,Derek picked up a slice of pizza to distract him from the sticky mess before him. “She’s been sick a lot lately.” he answered succinctly,folding the slice in half.

 

“And that’s weird?” asked the occupied werewolf whose blowing now appeared less effectual before fizzling out completely.

 

Scott frowned, took a breath, inhaled again and continued playing in his soda glass.

 

“For her.” Derek said with finality, taking a huge bite of pizza. He wiped his sauce covered lips with a napkin and noticed that the sound of bubbles popping furiously across from him was gone. He looked over to find that Scott was staring intently, seemingly considering his words.

 

“What’s wrong with her?”

 

“I don’t know. I don’t think she knows.”

 

Derek passed Scott a hand full of napkins and watched as he cleaned the root beer pool on the table, admitting he was bored.

 

“Well that’s what happens after you eat an entire pizza in five minutes. You have to sit and talk the rest of the time.” Derek teased with a straight face in a way that only he could pull off. “Now, we need to figure out what we’re going to do about the Death Dwellers.” he finished sliding away his plate. “We need a plan.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

Beacon Hills Hospital was just how Braeden remembered it, choke full of cold sterility. Not a color outside of white to be found inside its walls. The air smelled of antibacterial and sanitizer. There was furniture here that hurt more than the afflictions patients needed treatment for and smiles on the faces of every nurse that were faker than artificial snow. Every nurse except for Melissa DelGato McCall.

“Hi, Braeden.” She said picking up a clipboard. “What brings you in today?” she inquired with a bright smile.

 

“I haven’t been feeling too well.” Braeden reported, sliding onto the examination table. The parchment dressing underneath her crinkling from the disturbance.

 

“For how long?” the concerned nurse probed.

 

“About a month now, I guess.” Melissa shot her a questioning look but continued with her assessment. “Describe your symptoms for me.”

 

“There are a lot. To be honest, I don’t even know where to start.” Braeden explained running a hand over her face.

 

“You said you’ve been experiencing these symptoms for a month?”

 

Braeden nodded. She watched Melissa pluck a pen from her shirt pocket and write on the sheet in front of her. “Has this been constant or off-and-on?” she continued without leaving the clipboard.

 

“Pretty constant.”

 

“Ok. I’m going to read some off particular symptoms and you just tell me if you’ve experienced them. How does that sound? Good?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Naseau?” Braeden nodded. Melissa checked it off the list.

 

“Sore throat?” Another click of the pen.

 

“Heightened sensitivity to light and sound?” The song of ink and paper continued.

 

“Extreme fatigue?” “Decrease in appetite?” “Sore or enlarged breasts?” As she proceeded down the list Braeden was helpless to deny that she had, indeed suffered from every single symptom on the page. The list got longer but here answers never changed. They were always a resounding yes. The more she said it, the greater her anxiety toward a certain diagnosis increased.

 

If Braeden ever wished there was a time she could evaporate from life completely to avoid everything- it was right now.

 

Melissa was still asking questions in the background but her voice was muffled against all the thoughts in the forefront of Braeden’s mind. She was scared of getting an answer, angry that she would probably get the one she didn’t want, terrified of explaining her situation to anyone, disappointed that she was in this situation at all. She had only two choices, to grow up or shut up.

 

Having made her decision, Braeden removed her jacket when Melissa requested it to take her blood pressure. The needle in her arm next didn’t bother her as much as the needling question about her future. After the doting nurse capped the vial of B Positive, she urged Braeden to indicate where most of her discomfort was located and she quickly planted a firm hand on her stomach.

 

“Okay well, let’s take a look. Shall we? I need you to lie back and raise your shirt.” Braeden did as instructed and watched as Melissa unveiled a bulky rolling machine with a wand attachment from the small room closet. Turning on the monitor, she reached underneath taking out latex gloves and a tube of lubricant before giving her attention back to her patient. “This is going to be cold but it will help us see what’s going on in there.” the nurse informed before slathering the gel on her lower abdomen.

 

Braeden cringed past the shock and watched the screen as Melissa placed the wand on her skin moving it slowly along the seam of her jeans for a while before stopping.

 

“Ahh. I think I found your problem.” Melissa announced, pointing to the image on the monitor,smiling. “Congratulations Braeden, you’re p-“

 

“Don’t.” she pleaded. “Don’t say it please.”

 

Forming her lips into a thin line, Melissa curtly nodded and granted her request. Turning her gaze back to the machine, she turned it off removed the wand from Braeden’s belly and stated. “I’m going to clean this up and then the doctor will be in to speak to you in a moment,ok?”

 

“Thank you.” she replied gratefully, pulling down her tank top.

 

“You’re welcome.” Melissa smiled on her way out of the room, closing the door behind her.

 

 

This was exactly what Braeden was afraid of, the very instance of her fear had just happened. Going to see a doctor didn’t help like Derek said it would. It had the opposite effect. Her carefree days now gone, she needed to sort some things out. Walking to the car outside of the hospital, Braeden had the overwhelming impulse to seek advice. She needed to talk to her best friend.

 

Unlocking the car door, she slipped in and pulled out her cell phone. She pressed one character and stuck the keys in the ignition while it rang. As of right now, Braeden wasn’t sure of much but what she did know was that Lydia Martin was too smart for her own good.

“Hey!” she answered.

 

“You were right.” Braeden huffed defeatedly into the receiver, buckling her seat belt. It took a full minute before Lydia responded.

 

“Come over. I’ll see you when you get here.”

 

“On my way.”

 

After she hung up the phone, Braeden sat in the driver’s seat of Derek’s jeep staring off into the distance, trying to grasp how her life had just changed. The only thought in her mind was that things would never be the same between her & Derek again.

 

* * *

 

 

 

The echoing doorbell at the sprawling residence rang twice before it was answered by someone in a purple silk pajama set, hair in a messy top bun and a pencil in the crevice of their ear.“Hey,come in.” Lydia stepped aside letting Braeden walk through.

 

“I actually thought you’d be here earlier. You called two hours ago.” she said locking the door, taking Braeden’s leather jacket.

 

“I could come back if you’re busy.” the young woman hesitated, self-consciously covering her stomach.

 

“Stop it. I finished my research paper on Chemically Inclined Molecular Influxes thirty minutes after we talked and thought I’d learn another language.” She gestured to the book on the coffee table Braeden hadn’t noticed until now. “Sanskrit.” Lydia nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders. “Never know when it might be useful.” She smiled.

 

Lydia outstretched outstretched her hand and Braeden took it while they ascended the stairs to her bedroom.

 

“Alright,sit and spill.” Lydia patted the spot next to her. “Tell me everything and start from beginning. ”

 

So that’s exactly what Braeden did and by the time she was finished, she realized she was shaking. Her skin felt flushed and her hands clammy as she thought about her werewolf boyfriend and whether or not their relationship could survive the end of the day.

 

“What am I gonna tell him?” she stammered, staring off into the distance.

 

“Tell him that you’re pregnant.” Lydia answered matter-of-factly, placing a pale hand over Braeden's.

 

“I’m think I’m gonna wait.” she countered.

 

“For what? The child to pop out and start calling him Daddy? I think that's the dumbest decision you’ve ever made for three reasons. 1) Derek deserves to know 2) You’re only contemplating not telling him because you’re scared of his reaction but 3) You have no way of knowing how he’ll react unless you tell him. So tell him,Braeden.”

 

Braeden chocked back her tears at the cutting truth behind those words. Lydia knew her like the back of her hand. She was in deep trouble if she thought she could squirrel away from Lydia Martin’s scope of intelligence. As she laid her head on her best friend’s sturdy shoulder, she was grateful that she didn’t have to say it out loud. That there was someone in her life who loved her enough to speak them when they were too uncomfortable for her. Too heartbreaking, too devastating.

 

They sat on her bed,Lydia stroked her hair and rubbed her shoulder and Braeden desperately wished that someone could tell those dreaded words to Derek,for her.

 

* * *

 

 

 

“Where have you been?” was the greeting that met her at the door of Derek’s loft. He gave her a chaste kiss and returned to his previous activity. “I didn’t know you left.” 

 

She dropped the keys on the table and shrugged out of her jacket as she replied. “Yeah. I decided to go see the doctor today instead of tomorrow.”

 

Derek abandoned the blueprints on his desk and devoted his attention to his girlfriend. “What did he say?”

 

Leisurely taking off her left boot, she replied. “He gave me an answer.” and easily dislodged the other shoe.

 

“What was the answer?”

 

Derek continued to look fixedly at Braeden, following her gait as she came closer to him. He crossed his arms, calmly standing in the middle of his living room and waited for her to get within reaching distance.

Circling her outstanding anatomy in his strong arms when she was less than four feet away, he asked once more. “What was the answer, Brae?”

 

Derek’s face was dangerously close to hers and she could feel every inch of him as he wrapped her in his arms. Every one of his slight growls of satisfaction reverberated right through her chest. The longer they made heated eye contact, the more the temperature rose in the room. Derek could feel it to by the smug look on his face and the dark glint in his eyes. He knew what he was doing.

 

Braeden knew that if she stood there with him, like that anymore they would end up doing what got her into this mess. She couldn’t lose focus. It was now or never she thought as she took a shuddering breath to compose herself and broke his embrace.

 

This was it.

 

With trembling hands,she reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a small square piece of paper. She flipped it over clumsily, running a shaky thumb across the image before nervously handing it to Derek.

 

Derek Hale had seen a lot of unexplainable things in his life and he prided himself on his repose when it pertained to deciphering the answers he needed but looking at what lie in his hands, he could feel the confusion ebb into anxiety. He was freaking out. He couldn’t tell what he was supposed to see and the longer he stared at the grainy, black and white photo the more his panic rose in his throat. A throng of questions forming in his mind.

 

After seconds of silently observing Derek’s unreadable expression, Braeden reluctantly swallowed down the fact that she was petrified he hadn’t responded. She stared back at the picture and then at Derek. Closing her eyes and pushing a strand of her dark curls behind her ear, she took a step closer to him on legs quaking legs she was surprised she was even able to move. Her slender chestnut fingers reached around his hand and pointed to a gray dot in the center of the photo.

“That’s um- that’s reason I’ve been” a pause “uh harder to live with lately.” she explained keeping her eyes glued to the photo.

 

Derek looked up from the picture, hazel glow in his orbs barely visible against the harsh squint caused by his utter bewilderment.

 

“What is this Braeden? What am I looking at?”

 

“Your baby.”

 

He had to grip the photo tighter to makes sure he was holding it as his eyebrows dissolved into his forehead, his vision blurred for a couple of seconds and the room started to spin. “My ba-“

 

“Yes. Baby.”

 

His eyes broke away from the picture and he looked at his girlfriend. Actually saw her for the first time that day.

 

He noticed her standing in the room and began to see her in a different light. Scanning his view up and down her hourglass frame, he could tell certain things were different about her. The curve of her jeans were deeper, hips wider to house a more round ass. The skin flirting with his eyes underneath her tank top had returned to it’s normal warm hue and the swell of her chest was bigger than he’d remembered. They were huge to be honest and he quietly berated himself for not paying closer attention to all of this before.

 

Before she told she was pregnant.

 

Before he saw his child for the first time.

 

Breaden weakly smiled at him and it was then that he realized, he had been standing there speechless, absorbed in his own thoughts for a while. Returning her smile with a shaky one of his own, he finally spoke. “You’re pregnant?” It was more of a statement than a question he was willing himself to believe. He peered down at the picture in his hands again before she could answer.

 

“You’re pregnant?” Derek said again, a little more convinced this time.

 

He turned away from her,his attention rapt on the image, the muscles in his back protruding through his tight shirt. Braeden held her breath, waiting for the explosion. The part where he yelled so loud his eyes shifted and he’d ultimately accuse her of trapping him with an unwanted addition. Who knows maybe she could do this on her own, she convinced herself silently, anticipating a bitter end to a sweet partnership. She would have to pick up the pieces by herself but she could carry the baby in her other arm.

 

Breaking her thoughts, Derek did something that completely floored Braeden. He swung around seemingly floated on air towards her wearing a smile that rivaled every sun in the universe. He gazed at her so longingly that she had to squelch the wave of pure love stirring inside her.

 

With unshed tears in his eyes, he cupped her face. “We’re having a baby.” Derek whispered in awe.

 

She smiled a watery smile and nodded, wiping her sweaty palms nervously on her jeans.

 

“We are having a baby, but..”

 

“but what?” he let go of her instantly face and took a step back. He had a feeling he wasn’t ready for anything that came after what Braeden had to say next. Derek found that he was excited about the news but by the sound of her voice she was anything but.

 

“Braeden?” Derek pressed, keeping his searing gaze on her as he bent to pick up the photo that slipped out of his hands. “Why do I get the feeling you have something else to tell me?”

 

“Because I do.” he watched in silence as a tear slipped from her eye and she reached for the picture. His first instinct was to pull it out of her hands, tell her that portrait had his kid in it, his child. But then he remembered,this was her baby too.

 

He relaxed as much as he could in the moment and resisted the urge to wipe away her tears.There was an emptiness in his hands where the similitude of a new life used to be. Derek hoped his worst fear hadn’t happened, that Braeden had not decided to take away his opportunity to have a family before he was aware they had one. He didn’t consciously think that Braeden was the type of woman to do that, but the still chill in the air by her delayed response did little to debunk his suspicions.

 

She stood there, tears streaming down her smooth complexion, mouth searching for the perfect way to tell him the news. Everytime she tried, the little voice in the back of her head would scream that Derek wasn’t going to react well to it. The other voice that sounded a lot like Lydia, telling her that she didn’t know unless she told him everything could barely be heard above the frantic beating of her heart.

 

Taking a deep breath, she mumbled. “Werehavingababybuttheresmoreitstwins.” Breaden exhaled in one short breathe.

 

“What?” Derek scrunched his features, straining to hear her. “Brae.” He closed the gap between them and titled her chin up with his finger. “What did you say?”

 

Closing her eyes she repeated softly. “I said” a pause. “We’re having a baby but there’s more…there are uh..we’re not just having one baby.”

 

“Wh-what?”

 

Braeden opened her shining eyes only to have them penetrated by the unparalleled light in Derek’s. His face was full of pure astonishment. She wasn’t sure if he actually heard anything she just told him, so she said it again.

 

“We’re not having one baby Derek, we’re having twins.”

 

Derek flew at her so fast she would have been knocked on her ass if he wasn’t cupping it so tightly. Braeden wrapped her legs around his waist and looped her hands around his neck as she spun her around. He put her down and kissed her so gently her insides melted from his affection.

 

“So you’re not upset?” She asked huskily when she could see straight again. Derek cupped her round face, wiped her tears with his thumbs and poured every emotion he owned into his answering kiss.

 

“Why would I be upset with the woman who is giving me a family?” he declared, taking his time with each word.

 

“I just thought th-“

 

“Shh” he slid his left hand to her waist “we’re having a baby Braeden” placed his heavy palm to her stomach. “two of them.” and kissed her forehead. “Two babies.” He repeated.

 

She smiled and nodded. “Two babies.”

 

“Thank you.” his said leaning in,eyes starting to cloud with emotion. “Brae, thank you for giving me this.” he took the sonogram out of her hands and shook it in the air. “Them.”

 

All the words in the world couldn’t be more perfect than this moment so she didn’t say anything for fear that she would ruin it, she just fell into his open arms and stood with him in the middle of his living room until he released her. He kissed her nose and she giggled.

“I love you.”

 

“I love you.” Braeden insisted, musing as she rubbed his arms reveling in the way they responded to her touch.

 

“And I love you guys too.” He said crouching down on his knees, kissing her flat stomach. Braeden looked skyward to keep her tears at bay as Derek continued talking to her belly.

 

“Hey guys, I’m your dad and I can’t wait to meet you. For a long time I was wishing for you and didn’t even know it until your mom showed me your picture.” He beamed up at Braeden,who put her hands on his shoulders. “Your mom is the best in the entire world. She’s beautiful,smart and stronger than me in so many ways it still surprises me that she was ever attracted to a guy like me. She’s one of a kind. We’re lucky to have her.”

 

Derek squeezed her hips gently and let a tear slip when she mouthed she loved him without a hint of regret. Her nimble fingers found his hair as he caressed her tummy,showering his family with the softest kisses he could muster. Raising up her shirt, the proud father placed his head gently on her stomach. “You guys have no idea how much she’s gone through for you so take it easy on her in there, ok? Try not to make her miserable or she will make me miserable.” Braeden rolled her eyes. “She loves you. And I love you. And we want to protect you guys because we do so stay in there and grow for as long as you can. Be brave and determined like you mother, kind like your Aunt Laura and wise like your grandmother. Pfft,I don’t even know if you can hear me yet but I have to tell you that you’re the best things that have ever happened to me and you always will be. We’re a family. We’re Hales. We’re in this together.” and he pecked Braeden’s supple skin one last time before replacing her shirt.

 

Derek stood up and melted into the kiss his girlfriend met him with. It was full of everything she wanted to say and even things she didn’t have to. She ravaged his mouth like she would die without it and he returned the favor with equal fervor, almost bruising her lips with his passion. He stopped when she needed air. She was panting and perfect just the way he loved her.

 

Picking her up bridal style, he sauntered over to the bed holding his most prized possessions in his arms. Derek pulled back the blankets and slid both of them in between. “We’re having twins.” he murmured excitedly, spooning Braeden from behind. She didn’t have to turn around to know that a grin was currently eating his face. He was going to be a dad, she was going to be a mom to two babies who would be perfect blends of them both. Derek kissed her temple and held her tight.

 

“Ours.” he heard Braeden whisper contentedly as she slipped into a much needed slumber. He watched her sleeping peacefully is his arms, their contrasting skin tones seeming indistinguishable as he rubbed protective circles over his growing family. He never knew how much he loved her until this moment and he would gladly spend the rest of his life making sure he cherished her. This was the mother of his unborn children and he couldn’t have picked a better one. All his earlier relationships had failed because he was created for someone like her. And secretly he hoped that pretty soon he would get to hold two tinier versions of her in his arms,happy and healthy,as he pushed a stray strand of curly dark brown hair out of her face. She scrunched her nose and kept dreaming.

 

 

Eventually,Derek fell asleep listening to the rhythmic thud of Braeden’s heartbeat, waiting for the day when he could finally hear two more.


	2. Daddy Diaries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone wanted a drabble of when the babies are born. Derek with babies is perfect. Brae & Derek with babies is better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is what happened after they found out about their two bundles of joy. I can't write less than 1k anything so it's broken up. Hate me later. Enjoy it loves!

Wednesday 2:51 AM

I can’t sleep in the bed anymore. It’s overridden with two enormous body pillows that are larger than I am put together and she seems to like them more anyway. These days every time I’m next to her, she complains about my skin being too hot when we cuddle or my breathing keeping her awake when her tossing and turning finally allows me to close my eyes.

 

I honestly feel like she hates the sight of me. She never lets me touch her, hold her, for more than a couple of minutes at a time. She never believes me when I tell her that she’s sexy pregnant. She just sighs and rolls her eyes. I can’t remember the last time we had sex and I actually got to see her face. She says it’s a matter of it being more comfortable for her to have her back to me but there’s a part of me that knows she doesn’t want to see me. And Braeden never does anything she doesn’t want to do.

 

Right now, she doesn’t want me in our bed so I hop out and let the pillows take my place as they normally do. My designated spot to slumber has been the same for the last three months.

 

I keep an extra blanket close to the cushions on the ottoman because I know I will end up there at night.

 

Never fails.

 

 

 

Wednesday 4:00 AM

She’s not asleep. She’s tossing and turning again, pressing further into the mattress to find relief but it’s not working. The strangled moans signal that she’s having a hard time breathing laying down. The babies are so healthy that they constrict her airway when she does. Melissa told her not to even attempt a supine position so late in her pregnancy but Braeden doesn't listen and this is the result.

 

Me,on the couch, night after night, keeping a vigilant ear out for when she starts to wheeze. Then I trudge over, kiss her awake and pull the massaging contoured back support wedge pillow she hates and tries to hide daily,from under the bed where she always hides it. She whines about it but I kiss her again and it’s over. I press the on button and let it work its magic.

 

Between Baby A, who I call Slash because it has the kicks and punches down to a forceful science and Baby B, Lightening, who moves inside of her stomach so fast and excitedly that she is jerked in the direction that it launched itself, it’s insane. These tiny humans are taking her body for a ride and she is stretched to the limit in every way.

 

I will never be able to thank her for what she’s doing.

 

She stops wheezing and drifts off. I drift into the half sleep I always have here on the couch.

 

The same sleep that will continue until Slash & Lightening get here.

 

 

 

Thursday

Braeden stays in bed all day saying the pressure in her lower body is uncomfortable. Her ankles are severely swollen, her hands too and she can’t get her back to stop aching since Slash & Lightening refuse to keep their feet and fists to themselves.

 

I spend the day running back and forth between helping Scott and Melissa move into their new house across town and calling Lydia to make sure she’s there and that the three most important people in my life are taken care of. Every time I ask, she tells me that Braeden has been in the same spot for hours watching a Scandal marathon on television. When I asked to speak to her, Lydia got a couple handfuls of popcorn thrown at her for interrupting a “Papa Pope” speech on my behalf. I could hear her yelling at Lydia to get off the damn phone and I had to admit it made me smile to hear her a little more like the Braeden I knew before.

 

Still irritable but for the right reasons.

 

When I got home that night, I found Lydia and Braeden cuddled together in my bed. The girls were slumped on each other resting peacefully. Snoring, loud enough to drown out some bearded guy rocking in the corner of an office building repeating the number 752. Braeden’s chunky legs extended atop the comforter and her protruding belly exposed beneath her purple camisole,could rip the nails off of a board with the snores coming from her lungs. Lydia was right behind her,strawberry hair covering her face,one hand in the popcorn bowl and the other draped sweetly across Braeden’s tummy. Her right leg tangled over the mother to be. Come to think of it, Braeden had her hand in the bowl too, a greasy now empty bowl.

 

They looked so comfortable I didn’t have the heart to wake them so I carefully slipped the bowl from between them, covered them up and went upstairs to work on baby proofing the nursery.

 

When I came down, Lydia was gone. Her spare key wasn’t so I knew she’d swing by again soon. For someone so smart, she was always forgetting that thing.

 

 

Saturday 8:15 AM

Slash keeps punching Braeden’s kidneys which means that our shopping trip has taken three hours when it normally would’ve taken one. I guess Lightening is sleeping because she hasn’t said anything about feeling the usual rapid movement that comes from the two of them being awake at the same time. But she’s in the bathroom again and I’m stuck with a cart full of baby stuff standing outside the lavatory, desperately trying to avoid the gawking stares of passing Moms with bulging bellies and wicked eyes. I know they want to know who I belong to. I should be used to it by now but every time I see a woman undress me, it makes me cringe internally. That was, until Braeden came along.

 

Braeden, the love of my life who insisted we buy printed napkins instead of plain ones, tossed three extra bags of chips and a bottle of Perrier in the shopping basket saying that it was Lydia’s favorite while she volleyed between french onion sandwich rolls or regular sesame seed buns for the hamburgers. When I told her it didn’t matter, she yelled and told me I wasn’t helping.

 

That Braeden. The mother of my unborn children.

 

Braeden, who made me stand by a cart full of disposable breastfeeding bra cup thingys, car seat cooling liners, countless boxes of padsicles, something called a belly bandit, a twin Z nursing dock, and enough tubes of nipple cream to last us six months easily. I couldn't be more ready to get the hell out of here.

 

The guy next to me has some of the same stuff in his basket and the same look on his face. He gets it. I just wonder if he’s expecting twice the work like we are.

 

 

Saturday 2:30 PM

We hang around the house for the rest of the day, everyone is here. Scott and Stiles are upstairs in the guest bedroom playing video games and Melissa is helping Lydia make lunch. The Sheriff is sitting on the couch cheating at the card game we’re playing. Peter texted a while ago, said he was on his way and brining his new girlfriend.

 

It’s a nice way to spend the weekend and all of us are secretly hoping that the babies will show up today but no one says anything. Everyone wants to be here when it happens, so we each take turns keeping tabs on Braeden for signs that today is the day.

 

Scott and Stiles paused their game and watched from the window as she walked to the mailbox outside.

 

Lydia met her at the door to the building and walked her in.

 

Melissa,left the burgers on the stovetop grill and locked the door behind them, taking the mail from Brae exchanging it for a glass of water.

 

The Sheriff and I, sparing glances at her in between dealing and shuffling cards. Between the two of us, we always knew where she was.

 

Braeden,none the wiser, pulling at the fabric of her dress all day, frustrated with the way it hung from her baby bump. If you ask me, she looked amazing in peach or persimmon or whatever she said that color was. I liked it, it made all three of them glow.

 

She set the banquet table in the open kitchen and sat down, rolling silverware. Her and Melissa talk about Olivia Pope and a guy named after that writer who penned The Great Gatsby. Lydia is pulling an apple pie and a bundt cake out of the oven, settling them next to the cookies and cupcakes on the counter, joining in the conversation. All of them giggling uncontrollably.

 

I wish we all had more days like this. Easy.

 

I take a swig of beer and play my card. The Sheriff is losing terribly but he won’t admit it. This is our sixth rematch. The boys race down the stairs when they smell the baked goods and Melissa sends them out saying lunch is ready in two minutes so no they can’t just eat cookies upstairs. Braeden laughs and I laugh too.

 

That will be our life soon.

 

Lydia strolls over and slides a full plate in front of Braeden. When she just stares at the cheeseburger, roasted vegetables, french fries and garden salad, Lydia leans down and whispers in her ear. Braeden giggles and makes a big show of rubbing her belly. Lydia rolls her eyes, picks up the plate and disappears only to return with two chocolate peanut butter cupcakes. It’s the first time I’ve seen Braeden smile that care free smile all day.

 

She’s so beautiful.

 

They don’t say it often but they don’t have to, from my spot on the couch even I can clearly see how in tune they are to each other.Things Braeden never tells me, Lydia knows and I’m willing to bet all the money I have riding on the Cyclones game this week that Braeden is wobbling around here with all of Lydia’s secrets too.

 

 

Sunday 7:58 PM

The Cyclones lost and I pay Paul $150 bucks while he drones on about how I cheated at poker but can’t make a bet to save my life. I mentioned how great Stiles played tonight and he waves me off though I can see how proud he is underneath it. He wants a rematch next week. He’s bringing a six pack he said stuffing my money in the pocket of his uniform.

 

 

Monday 9:00 AM

We were late. I overslept. She barely ate breakfast but has been snacking all morning. We take one last look around our designated birthing room at Beacon Hills Wellness Center and leave. Braeden’s excited that she won’t deliver in a hospital. I’m scared that if something goes wrong, there isn’t a hospital close enough to get to. I forget my concerns when she wraps her fingers around mine and tells me it’s going to be fun.

 

 

Monday 1:15 PM

Lydia, Braeden and Melissa are taking a day trip to see Braeden’s mom in Oceanside whose bedridden with acute pneumonia. Lydia won’t let Braeden go alone and Melissa needs to get away from Scott, who’s on vacation from school this week. They don’t come back until later and even though she wasn’t gone the entire day I missed her.

 

I missed them.

 

Melissa tells me to watch Braeden because she was restless in the car, complaining of intense back pain and building pressure. I knew that was code for Braxton Hicks contractions, read it in that What To Expect book Scott bought for me. She said she’d be just a call away if we need her.

 

She had been since we decided to make her our doula.

 

Braeden hates hospitals. I don’t trust doctors. It was an inevitable question. Melissa was the happy answer.

 

Tuesday

I don’t see much of Braeden, Slash or Lightening this morning because I slipped out while they were still sleeping. The Sheriff has some cases that need my kind of expertise and since Braeden forbid me from putting myself in danger on cases like these and also eating pizza, I don’t tell her where I’m going.

 

When I called around lunchtime to check on her, she answered on the first ring but she sounded weird;out of breath. I was worried even though she told me not to be. She was too busy drilling me about where I was and I was too busy trying to lie my way out of the situation to notice that she was deflecting.

 

Two hours later, she called and said that she didn’t feel good. I asked her where it hurt and it took her a minute to reply. I knew then that she was holding her breath to stop the pain.

 

I rushed home to find her in the bathroom on the toilet. She was gripping the sides of the seat, eyes shut tight. I could smell the anxiety and iron tinged aroma coming off her in waves as I neared her. I got on my knees and slid her socks off and panties the rest of the way down her legs.There was a little blood in them.

 

I dialed Melissa and she said that spotting before water breakage in a multiple pregnancy is normal. I didn’t read that yet in What To Expect but I didn’t say anything just followed orders to let her body do what it needed to.

 

Braeden stayed in the bathroom until she felt stable enough to move. Even then, I carried her to bed and slowly replaced her clothes with a nightgown. I sat by the bed on the floor and rubbed her belly until she fell asleep.

 

 

Early Wednesday Morning

She wakes me up by shoving me. Her water broke and she soaked the sheets. I jumped up and helped her out of bed. She’s wasn’t scared or panicked like I was, but the opposite as she pulled the sheets from the mattress and threw them in our hamper. Braeden walks slowly to our dresser and complains about having to change clothes for the tenth time in 24 hours.

 

 

Also Early Wednesday Morning

I called Lydia, Melissa and Cora. 2 out of the 3 picked up. I left my sister a voicemail and hoped she’d call me back later. I prayed that she’d make it here in time.

 

 

Wednesday Afternoon

The first real contraction hits Braeden as she is bending over to grab her birth-day bag on our way to the door to Beacon Hills Wellness Center. The straps slip from her chubby fingers and her knees punt forward, she winces and I’m there with my arms around her stomach supporting her. Little did I know, this was only the beginning of what contractions had to offer both of us.

 

I grabbed the diaper bag and swiped the keys, forgetting to lock the sliding door. My hands never leaving Braeden’s hips.

 

Lydia meets us there in the parking lot minutes later with her own duffel bag, one that looks a lot like the one I put my extra gym clothes in, Braden’s spare body pillow and my video-camera. All of which I’d forgotten at home in panic. For someone so smart, I’m glad she remembers the big things and forgets the small ones.

 

We all stare at each other for a moment, knowing it’s going to be a long night and that the next time we stand in this parking lot things will be different. Lydia will be a godmother. Braeden and I will be parents to two perfect combinations of us both.

 

 

I take one of Braeden’s hands, Lydia holds the other while I slip the camera from her grasp.

 

 

We all walk in together.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The babies are coming!! Stay tuned for the next chapter where the real action happens!! How do you think everyone will handle labor & delivery? Review, so I don't feel like a complete failure. Til next time loves!!


	3. What Do I Say To Her

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The newest members of the Hale family finally make their appearance. Teen wolf characters belong to MTV but the OC's are all mine.

Wednesday Night

Scott & Stiles stop by to bring us dinner. The Mexican food looks delicious so we offer them to eat with Lydia, Melissa and me while Braeden takes a shower.They say they can’t stay because Stiles is finally making Scott watch all the Star Wars installations now that they have time off from school. Melissa laughs at Scott’s dreary expression.

I tell him they’re not that bad just lengthy and Stiles gets even more upset that his best friend hasn’t seen them, pointing at me saying that even I had watched them so he definitely has no choice.

 

Thursday 12: 53AM

Lydia & Braeden are sleeping in the full sized bed beside each other. Melissa is on the pull out couch across the room and I’m in the enormous arm chair next to the bed. I listen in the silence for two tiny heartbeats and when I hear them speed up, I whisper and tell them that they’re fine and I know it’s scary to be pushed out of a comfort zone but we can’t wait to meet them. The rhythm of the beats slow down and I know that they’re listening.

So is Braeden as she rolls over and grins sleepily, light in her eyes.

I hope that they have her smile.

 

Thursday 1:19 AM

A contraction wakes her up but she doesn’t move, she just waits it out. The next three make her shift in the sheets and wake Lydia.The eighth, has her fists clutching the sides of the metal bedframe, Lydia and Melissa urging her to find a better, more comfortable position.

On contraction number ten that makes a whimper slip from her lips, I do the same.

 

Thursday 2:15 AM

Braeden is in the first stages of labor, Melissa said that she’s in the early stage and it could be a while before she makes enough progress to be considered active labor.

With her arms around my neck and my hands wrapped around her lower back putting slight pressure on her spine, we’re swaying in a trance. This is the closest I have been to her since she got out of bed. Braeden’s dark curls are covering her face that is laying on my chest. Her stomach is rock hard between us during contractions, and I know for a fact that my boys owe their mother a huge apology when they get here.

She is the strongest person I know.

 

Thursday 2:29 AM

I’m holding her warm hand, slowly walking around the perimeter of the room avoiding a trash can and a couple of duffle bags along the way. There are four people in here and it doesn’t feel crowded at all. All of a sudden, I’m not so upset my girlfriend made us book the biggest room at Beacon Hills Wellness Center.

I must have been quiet for a while because Braeden asks me what I’m thinking about. I place a protective hand over Slash & Lightening and kiss her slowly. She laughs and says I could’ve just told her. I peck her again and say I know.

It’s quiet now. Melissa is in the adjoining birth room opposite the sleeping quarters we’re strolling around,filling a gigantic tub with warm water for Braeden. Lydia is sitting on the couch with her computer in her lap concentrating, phone stuck to her ear.

Braeden stares at her oddly for a second as we pass, Lydia doesn’t look up just replies that she’s on it. I watch the vixen next to me brighten considerably and it’s as if a light was switched on.

We walk through two more contractions and my bare feet are throbbing. I won’t say anything though, she’s in more discomfort than I am.

 

Thursday 3:00 AM

There’s a knock at the door. Lydia and Braeden glance at each other conspiratorially. I’m confused. I get up and answer it.

It’s Stiles in pajamas and wild bedhair, holding a catering tray of fresh fruit and a large brown paper bag in his arms. He thrusts them at me and I hear Lydia scream thanks behind me. He grunts and leaves, eyes half closed.

I don’t have time to tell my gorgeous girlfriend that our friend just brought her an entire tray full of her favorite fruit before she’s taking it out of my hand, belly bumping into me. Melissa emerges from the bathroom and smiles knowingly at Braeden.

I’m sure I missed something. I thought she wasn’t allowed food once labor started. Guess I should’ve read that chapter in the baby book.

She asks Melissa almost sugary sweetly if she can have it, batting her beautiful long lashes at her favorite medical professional. Lydia giggles on the couch when Melissa says sure but only small portions. Both Lydia & Melissa remind Braeden in unison to go slowly and not to force anything down.

Braeden rolls her eyes, moves over to the couch so fast I’m reminded that underneath her growing belly, she is still the same woman who can kick my ass in three seconds flat and not break a sweat or a chip her nail.

I snort lightly when she smiles at me as she pulls out two small containers of organic vanilla yogurt. She holds one out for me. I’m not hungry but I stroll over and take it from her anyway. Lydia hands us spoons & opens the fruit tray grabbing a slice of cantaloupe, Melissa disappears again and it’s quiet. Sitting next to Braeden’s swollen ankles on the cold tile flooring, I realize, probably for the first time, that we won’t have quiet moments like these when the babies get here.

It’s comfortable. It’s scary and no one says a word.

We just eat.

 

Thursday 4:00 AM

Her contractions confined her in bed again then she moved to a birthing chair, sitting backwards on the stool. Every rush of pain, she swallowed like a soldier. She squeezed my hand like it was her only life line and there were times when I wanted to leech my strength to her; give her all of it. To help her. To make her pain go away.

She’d kill me with her pinky finger if I did that though. It was the one thing she requested I not do. Well, that and keep her from asking for drugs. She had made a promise to our sons that the way they entered the world would be the most natural way she could manage.

I disagreed. Natural really just meant that she would feel everything. I was never a big fan of pain and I definitely didn’t like watching her go through it but she was their mother and I wanted to see my first day as their father,so I’d agreed. Reluctantly.

These contractions were consistent now. Melissa tried rubbing her back to soothe her, Lydia kept her blushing face free of sweat, wiping her forehead every ten seconds. I tried massaging her feet but she punched me in the shoulder and told me I was making it worse. I apologized and she told me to shut up. I stopped talking and she yelled that I needed to say something to distract her from the contractions.

 

Thursday 4:45 AM

Braeden got in the birthing tub twenty minutes ago at Melissa’s suggestion when she said she couldn’t put weight on her feet anymore and she screamed at me to get the birthing chair the hell away from her. One second she loved it, the next, she hated that she needed it. I couldn’t keep up and neither could Lydia. Each request we tried to fill in record time but as soon as we did, she changed her mind again. Then Melissa talked her down from throwing the chair cushion clear across the room and gave her a new option. A great option. An option both Lydia and I were extremely happy she finally liked enough to let happen.

I carried her there and waited outside the door while the girls went inside and helped her out of her clothes.

I heard the splash of the waves lapping over the side of the tub. She was in and she was calm.

If she is calm then I’m calm.

Hopefully, this warm water will make her happier than I can right now.

 

Thursday 6:20 AM

I need towels, lots of them. Lydia and I alternate between towel runs because it seems like Braeden responds better to chilled ones.

Down the hall again.

I make twelve trips to the front desk and soon they know my name. On trip fourteen they just hand a stack over as they see me approach, offering tiny smiles. One doula told me that I should get some sleep because I looked tired. She said dads need attention too. I just smiled back and told her I wouldn’t sleep until Braeden isn’t in pain anymore.

I  meant it.

I can’t rest until she does because my job hasn’t started yet and hers hasn’t stopped since the day we found out we were pregnant.

 

Thursday 8:00 AM

The sun is peeking through the blinds. Melissa is taking a short nap on the couch, her back to the door,fingers curled around her cell phone. Trying not to wake her,Lydia is quietly stashing away an old change of clothes in a duffel bag across the room. She peeks slightly at Braeden in the birth room and then reaches in her bag for an iPod.

I only had one more corner on the bed until it was made when she came over,gave me the iPod and nodded toward the birth room. I knew what she meant. I was scared. Braeden had finally been able to manage her contractions in the tub with me watching from a distance. No interference. She didn’t want me in there, I was sure of it.

I couldn’t be in there. She was in pain and I couldn’t help her. She wouldn’t let me take her discomfort away the only way I knew how so I did the only thing I could do for her and stayed a safe distance away.

She hadn’t screamed in a while but it could start up again any second. She was my beautiful time bomb with amber eyes, smooth velvet skin and a temper akin to a volcano. Honestly, it wasn’t the labor that had me apprehensive…it was Braeden’s reaction to it that scared me.

But I loved her. And this I could do, hopefully.

I took the iPod into the birth room and looked one last time at Lydia who flashed a thumbs up. I closed the door behind me and stood there.

Braeden opened her eyes in her reclining position and slipped the washcloth off her forehead. She smiled but I knew she was confused. I went over and kissed her gently. Lingering above her, staring for a moment, I don’t think I could put into words how I felt about her. I more than loved her and I knew she loved this song. Our song.

She sat up and waited for me to say something, when I took off my shirt and jeans instead of answering, she called my name.

“Derek, what are you doing?”

I pressed play on the iPod, put it on the rim of the tub and watched her expression change. She recognized the song immediately. Her mouth agape as she tried to come up with something to say about what was happening and couldn’t. She was floored. The bronze was back in her glow,smile brightened and I motioned for her to scoot up. She did and I slipped in behind her, the song filling the room with sultriness befitting the queen in my arms.

With my hands around her stomach we held our family for a while, listening to the sounds of a serenade on repeat. Our song. She relaxed and snuggled into me.

The next six contractions we tackled together. Hand in hand. And I promised to do just as the lyrics in our song said and never leave her alone.

 

Thursday 12:24 PM

Braeden managed to fall asleep in my arms. For a few moments, she looked younger than she was. Serene, peaceful.

I looked down on her, committed her shallow breaths to memory and slowly realized that I was taking them with her.

I will never love anyone as much as I love her.

Even the air we breathe can’t get enough of each other.

 

Thursday 2:49 PM

Braeden’s straight hair got wet from the humidity in the birth room. It was starting to revert. I helped her wash it, lathered the bubbly shampoo through her hair softly using my nails to massage her scalp.

She relaxed more when I rinsed out the suds with the hose lying next to the birthing tub. The warm water was doing wonders for her mood, I haven’t heard her moan in so long that I’d forgotten I was capable of inciting that reaction from her.

I liked it. Being selfless. Being needed. I vowed that for as long as she needed me, I would be there as I squeezed thick & creamy conditioner into my hands and took my time saturating each one of her curls.

It made me feel closer to her in an intimate way.

When I was done, she reached up and twisted all of those bouncy, defined curls into an effortless bun. I’d seen her do it a million times but it still took my breath away.

This time she let me help as I placed an elastic from Braeden’s wrist around the hair.

We sat and inhaled the fruity scent of coconut and jasmine together, waiting out another contraction. I felt it coming as she shifted in my arms but what happened next took me by complete surprise.

She sat up. I sat up.

She gasped. I grabbed her hand.

She covered her mouth. I let go of her hand just in time.

She vomited and I waited until she was done to call for backup.

She cried. I wiped away the remnants from her lips.

She was gasping again, slower this time. I kissed her forehead and slipped out of the tub.

It hurt to leave her, especially like that but she needed them and at that moment…I did too.

They ran in with trashcans, towels and the speed of every supernatural we have ever faced.

 

Thursday 4:15 PM

Her snack from earlier makes another vicious reappearance with each swelling contraction. She’s puking again and shaking all over. Melissa tells her to let it all out, that it’s ok but I know Braeden. It’s in her eyes when she looks in my direction. She’s terrified and probably thinks she’s doing something wrong. That she has somehow hurt her children in some way.

She just doesn’t know that she is doing everything perfectly.

Lydia asks for another wastebasket and I’m on the run again.

 

Thursday 4:30 PM

She’s done. She’s dry heaving now, half her hair fallen from the bun and into her face. On my knees next to the tub, I hold her arms around my neck because she can’t do it herself and I need to be close to her. Let her know that I’m not just some busboy who makes runs all over BHWC. I’m here. I will be her strength when she has none left.

Right about now, her shaking and the small squeaks coming from her tell me that she has used just about all of it.

Man, I wish I could do this for her.

 

Thursday 5:23 PM

Braeden whispers in my ear that she wants to get out. I scoop her up in my arms, not minding the feel of her wet,naked body against my t-shirt. We come out and Lydia is ready with her favorite robe. I want to ask how she got it but then I remember that it’s Lydia and she always knows.

Melissa goes to the room closet next to the bathroom and rolls out a gigantic blue ball. She asks if Braeden might want to try this. Braeden agrees as she ties the robe closed and asks that I stay with her. I kiss her and ask where else would I be.

She smiles. It’s weak.

Her next contraction, Lydia and Melissa stand around us as they instruct me on how to support Braeden on the birthing ball. She’s keeping her breathing in order but I hear the babies heartbeats pick up and I can’t pay attention. Someone asks did I understand. I lie and say I did.

I’ll take Braeden’s lead like I have done every day since I met her.

She tells me to stand in front of her, very still. I do and she holds my hips at the belt loops of my jeans. She’s using me as a wall and I don’t mind one bit.

I wish I could do more.

Several more contractions are endured this way and her moans get louder then softer then subside completely before repeating the cycle again.

 

Thursday 6:19 PM

I know she’s tired. I’m tired. She looks exhausted and her usual glow is gone but her internal fire is still there. A spark still lingering in the wake of a dying blaze. I can tell that she’s already made up in her mind that she won’t stop until her babies are here and safe. The only thing I’m worried about is whether or not she will have the physical strength to bring them into this world. We’ve been at this for so many hours that they are starting to run together. Let me rephrase that..she’s been at this for hours. I’ve just been along for the ride.

Braeden’s never been a quitter, she was born a fighter. I just don’t want her body to quit on her before the real fight of parenthood begins. Can’t imagine raising these boys on my ow-

She’s calling me and I’m rushing over.

I slip behind her on the ball and press my thumbs into her lower back while she rolls her hips like I learned in that stupid birthing class Lydia held in our living room. It doesn’t seem so stupid now. I feel her relax a little but underneath my fingertips I can tell another contraction is building so I scoot closer and prepare for her to grab my hands.

It was a miracle I still had sensation left in my hands but I did and if she needed them, I’d cut them off to make sure she was comfortable.

 

Thursday 7:40 PM

Braeden had to use the bathroom and Lydia is taking a nap. Melissa is on the phone with the front desk, making sure there are enough blankets for when it’s time for her to push. This is the first moment that I’ve had alone since we got here. The silence is asking me questions I don’t want to answer.

Am I ready for this? Will I be a good enough father? When will I ever be worthy of a woman like Brae?

I sit on the edge of the bed, waiting, for the answers to come. They don’t. Braeden shuffles out of the bathroom, holding her stomach and kisses my hair as she walks past me to the birth room. It was quick but it said a lot.

Maybe I can do this because I won’t be alone. An amazing, breathtaking, strong, smart, funny, gorgeous woman will be by my side the entire journey. Only with her do I stand a fighting chance.

 

Thursday 8:30 PM

We try the tub again and she lets me sit on the edge this time. To the touch, the water is scalding hot but Braeden seems to be enjoying it. This round of contractions comes slower and easier. She’s finding a groove as the rest of us style around the perimeter, quiet like she instructed.

An hour later, the water is freezing so I help her out. Her skin is blushed,curly hair frizzed as strands matt to her face and she’s the most beautiful I've ever seen her at this very moment.

I kiss her hand and she kisses mine back. Lydia tells us to get a room.

Melissa discreetly tells the strawberry blonde that we’re in the third stage of labor now as she drains the cold water out of the tub, recoiling the hose and storing it away.

I heard it. Braeden didn’t.

I am officially scared shitless, there is no turning back now.

 

Thursday 11:42 PM

My boys are giving their mother a run for her money. They are relentless in the number of contractions they’re causing her after they picked up again. Worse than before. In the last ten minutes, I’ve counted twenty and Braeden is still holding on without an epidural. She is beyond absolutely phenomenal. I’m the luckiest man in the universe to have her be the mother of my children. My boys.

Boys…I’m going to have to confront about being nice to Mommy.

Melissa comes in and brings Braeden a couple more chilled towels because she’s sweating and finally found a comfortable position outside of the pool. In the sleeping quarters she’s on her knees, hands braced on the floor on all fours swaying back and forth. Her eyes are closed as she focuses on her breathing.

Those breathtaking eyes of hers have been closed so long that I’m starting to forget what they look like.

Melissa switches out the towels again while Lydia sits next to her and rubs Braeden’s back. They’ve both been here since I called and from the constant yawning and blinking, they’re on the verge of collapse but they still attend to Braeden like they’ve had a full night’s rest.

They are definitely getting spa packages as a thank you when this is over.

I get a call from Scott saying that he & Stiles were on their way to hang in the waiting area. I said they didn’t have to but he mentioned the HDTV set up and I knew they weren't just coming for us but for the amenities. I couldn’t blame them.

Peter texted a while ago and said that he was in Ojai about 40 minutes away and wasn’t bringing his now ex-girlfriend. It was a short relationship after she tried to kill him. He joked it ran in the family. I hung up on him.

Everyone would be close when the babies were born. Everyone except my little sister.

 

Thursday 12: 55 PM

Braeden and Lydia are arguing. They’re sitting across from each other on the floor, the birthing ball beside Braeden whose arms are at her sides supporting her weight. In this position, I can see how round her belly is and it amazes me even more that’s she is doing this for us. She is practically stretched to the limit and even more beautiful than a couple hours ago for no reason other than I love her. And she loves me.

Lydia has her knees underneath her, rubbing Braeden’s bare feet with her hands in an attempt to shut her up. For a moment, it works because Braeden sighs and moans in surrender but then she’s at it again.

“Go home Lydia.”

“Not a chance in hell, sweetheart.” Lydia continues to say, with a smile so bright it looks out of place in a room chock full of tired people. She’s barely hanging on though, without a stitch of makeup on Lydia’s dark circles are practically craters by now. She’s been by Braeden’s side for just as long as I have and trying to make her leave is nearly impossible.

“Lydia, go home. I’m probably not delivering today anyway.”

“And what if you do and I miss the spectacular moment those beautiful boys take their first precious breath? What then? Huh?”

Braeden sighs again and this time it’s not because of the massage. She’s lost the fight. I smile as I stand by the door, discreetly slipping Scott $40.00 for pizza because I’m starving and I don’t want Braeden to feel bad she can’t have any but I remember what the desk attendant said yesterday. Dads need attention too.

I’ll make a trip to the waiting area later.

 

Friday 1:16 AM

I must have closed my eyes for a minute in this stupidly comfortable armchair in the room because Braeden’s voice made them snap open.

She’s calling me in a voice right above a whisper because she has no more energy. It’s dry and scratchy but she’s talking, asking me if I can get in bed with her. I race at her so fast I have to stop just before the bed-frame to downplay how excited I was but the faint smile on her lips told me it was no use. I wasn’t fooling her.

We spooned for the first time in what felt like forever and the monitor on her stomach, I hadn’t even noticed before now, beeped slowly and steadily. With our protective hands over our boys, I was content. Not panicked, not scared, just peaceful. I looked down at Braeden who had finally drifted off into sleep, from the now noticeable smile and absent furrowed brow, she felt it too.

Being close to her like this reminded me of all the reasons why I loved her. And all the reasons I’d love her for the rest of my life.

 

Friday 3:45 AM

Melissa woke Braeden up after she checked her stats. She didn’t complain but I could see that she was frustrated by the inconsistency of rest she was getting. Honestly, I haven’t seen her sleep a full night in two weeks. Longer, if I’m really being upfront. But the look on Melissa’s face as she reads those stats has me worried so I ask and she takes me outside.

Braeden is severely dehydrated and with two babies who depend on her strength to make an appearance, water is what she needs and she needs it now. I go in, sit on the edge of the bed and tell her what Melissa told me. The flash of fear in her face shoots right through me as I try to get her to drink something.

She tried water, she couldn’t keep it down.

She tried juice, she couldn’t keep it down.

On the tenth glass of liquid she forced herself to drink, I almost know the gagging sound by heart as I look away from her. I know she’s only doing this for the boys but I can’t watch her do it, just hearing it has me ready to rip the glass out of her hand and tell the doulas to go screw themselves. A couple minutes later, Melissa is at her side with another bucket as Braeden leans over puking the contents of the glass.

I take a deep breath and think about how much she’s giving up to bring our kids home. I did this to her. Sitting there, half listening and half daydreaming I think about what kind of person could ask this of someone they loved.

 

Friday 5:15 AM

Braeden is upset. She’s thirsty and can’t hold anything down.

Lydia conveniently disappears after seeing the beginnings of Brae’s breakdown and I panic because most of the times that this happens Braeden only listens to her. She just says she’ll be right back and I’m counting the seconds until she returns before she’s even out of the room.

Melissa can’t calm her down. I don’t even try, just hold her in my arms, rocking back and forth. I’m useless at this moment and I’ve never felt smaller. I’m supposed to protect her, give her everything she needs and the only thing she needs right now..wouldn’t luck have it..there is no way for me to get it to her.

We had decided on no drugs which she reminded me as I suggested an IV might be a good way to get water into her. Lydia said they technically weren’t drugs but fluids. Braeden didn’t even have the strength to roll her eyes in abstention. She just glared pitifully. That’s when I knew she was one step away from giving up.

Forty minutes into our trying to coax my girlfriend into calmness,Lydia waltzes in like she never left. She has a huge smile on her face. She makes a b-line for Braeden,long colorful rectangular box in her arms. Melissa & I stare at each other confused. We have no clue what’s in this box. I just hope whatever it is, it can help bring Braeden back from the brink because a highly upset pregnant woman who has extensive knowledge of guns is not the best scenario.

As Lydia kneels in front of the bed,she opens the cardboard box. Pulling out a white cellophane wrapper, she rips it open with her teeth to reveal a frosty purple ice pop. Lydia got Braeden popsicles!

I wrap Braeden’s hand around the wooden stick and we all watch as she slowly devours the whole thing, taking her time. When she successfully finishes it, Melissa is all smiles. Lydia gives her another,she eats that one too. So far so good. She seems to be keeping them down. She still doesn’t have her strength back but the more ice pops she manages, the more energy she has.

Brae is on the last popsicle when Lydia gets up to discard the box. She takes Melissa to a corner and says she took care of what they talked about. It was meant to be a whisper but whispers don’t exist with senses like mine. I try to think of what it could be then I spot the box in the trash can by the door.

I know that box. I’ve seen it before.

Those weren’t normal popsicles but electrolyte enhanced versions, specifically targeted at dehydration expertly packaged in a wrapper that looked like the competitors. God, that girl is a genius! Our problem had been solved and I couldn’t be happier to have someone like Lydia on our team. On Braeden’s team.

 

Friday 2:22 PM

She’s feeling an urge to push.

I feel the urge to puke.

I’m not ready. I can’t do this.

She keeps saying in that voice I’ve grown accustomed to the past 49 hours, that she needs to. Melissa is talking to her and Lydia is talking to me and I can’t do this.

I can’t be responsible for two lives yet.

I’m not ready.

She pushes for the first time.

 

Friday 2:45 PM

She’s pushed for twenty minutes and the babies haven’t crowned yet. Melissa is sending an alert to the front desk saying Braeden is pushing. They don’t interfere with births here at BHWC unless they absolutely need to. They prescribe to a more natural way of childbirth that lets a woman’s body bring about the process in their own time. I’m fine with it.

If men had to do this, there would literally be 2 people on earth.

Braeden is a much stronger person than I will ever be.

 

Friday 4:00 PM

Scott texted me a minute ago asking if everything was okay and as much as I wanted to answer him, there was a more pressing matter at hand. Braeden wanted a more comfortable position. She needed to move from the side of the bed with her feet firm on the tile to one where she felt she had control.

Melissa rubbed her shoulders and told her the only position she hadn’t tried yet was squatting. Braeden said fine she’d try it but then the curly haired doula revealed she would be more tired this way because she has more weight to sustain in a multiple pregnancy.

Braeden was stubborn, not listening to Lydia who urged her not to do it. She motioned for me to grab the body pillow and put it on the floor. The glare I got from her best friend should have killed me instantly but I did what my girl wanted.

I could tell Melissa was upset, as she made some excuse about going to tell everyone in the waiting area that the babies would be here soon and quickly left. Lydia kept shaking her head in disbelief and for a minute stood rooted in her spot next to the bed. It was Braeden who asked her silently with her stare to respect her decision and Lydia caved. Her shoulders slouched and compliant.

She brought over the extra pillows and we all tried to find a squatting position that would work.

 

Friday 4:13 PM

There seems to be a cycle. She pushes and then when the babies want to come down into the birth canal, and she just stops. No one can figure out why she does this. We tell her to keep going but she’s unraveling. I have a feeling it has something to do with her lack of sleep, the overall pain and the frustration of being in labor for almost 49 hours.

She pushes. She stops.

Lydia suggests, Melissa consoles. I’m quiet.

As I listen to her heartbeat pick up enormous speed, here on my knees, her arms around my neck..I’m starting to think that maybe it has nothing to do with anything other than a very human emotion.

Fear.

Maybe I’m not the only one not ready for this. Sometimes I forget that my super amazing girlfriend is also amazingly human and that maybe she is scared too.

I begin to see that her features mirror mine as Lydia and Melissa take over, one at each side. They hold her hand and tell her to push again.

 

Friday 5:00 PM

“Honey, if you don’t push right now were gonna have to do this in a hospital and I know you do not want that, so Braeden push.” Melissa instructs in a non-authorative voice that she has learned to use around my resident warrior.

“I ca-can’t! I can’t!” She’s crying, a desperate defeated wail I have never heard in my life. I hope to never hear it again, it claws at my insides the way her tears seem to burn down my own cheeks because I am responsible for this unbelievable sound coming from her. I did this to her.

She’s shaking her head at Melissa again and the panic in the room rises as Braeden attempts to close her legs shut. She’s giving up and she’s doing it at the exact moment she should be fighting her hardest.

I get it, God is my witness, I understand that she has been through too much for too long without anything in return.

She screams again and my knees buckle from the force of it. That sound shoots through me and I have to bite straight down on my tongue to keep my fangs in my mouth. The urge to rip apart everything that’s causing her pain is unbearable. I can practically smell my anger in the air. I’m out for blood and everyone is on the hit list.

One ounce of discomfort at your hands and my face is the last you will see.

She’s till screaming, crying, shaking her head back and forth refusing to push. Lydia is beside her having a silent conversation with Melissa as they agree on what comes next. I’m across the room, frozen on my knees watching the love of my life writhe in pain.

My name. I think I heard my name.

Lydia’s calling me over, waving her arms at me. She’s glaring at me with expectant eyes full of frustration but she doesn’t understand that I can’t move. The combination of emotions like anger and fear are keeping me in place as I realize that I’m at the top of my hit list.

I need to spill my own blood.

Braeden starts to roll over on the floor and Melissa has to physically restrain her. Lydia is yelling at me to get my ass over there but why would Braeden want me anywhere near her? I did this to her.

What do I say to her?

Melissa is now yelling at me too. Her & Lydia seem in unison as they volley between trying to calm Braeden down enough to hear anything and getting me to leave my spot.

In a desperate move Lydia jumps up, zooms past me and out the door. She’s gone and then it’s Braeden and Melissa’s shouting that is in unison. I hear two pairs of shoes run down the hallway and in comes Scott with Lydia.

He takes one look at me and he knows. Lydia resumes her Braeden post, smoothing her hair back trying to distract her. It’s not working. She’s too smart and she’s in too much pain.

Melissa’s still talking. Reasoning. Trying.

“We’re running out of time. Braeden, listen. These babies are coming and you need to push. Right now!” Melissa is trying to keep her voice level but it’s impossible with the lungs on my girlfriend. Scott is on his knees in front of me and I’m looking over his shoulder. I know he’s saying something but it can’t be more important than my view of Lydia cupping Braeden’s tear streaked face, shushing her.

My name is floating somewhere in the air. Somebody… somewhere… is saying it, I just don’t know who it is. Too loud, too loud, too loud, it is too loud.

Melissa yelling. Braeden screaming. Lydia shushing. Scott talking. Peter in the waiting room hugging Cora who’s asking how Braeden is. Stiles telling her that he doesn’t know,Scott just left to go check. Three heartbeats beating out of sync with lungs that just keep screaming. Screams that keep getting louder and more high pitched.

Too loud! It’s too loud!

I watch Lydia hastily pull her phone out of her pants pocket and press a button. What is she doing? Why are my palms sweaty? When will Braeden stop screaming? Where did all my strength go?

Scott’s voice and arms blanket me, his hands on my shoulders blocking my view. He’s calm and the only person in the room that does’t smell like fear. I focus on him for a mere second and finally catch what he’s been saying for the past ten minutes.

“Be her anchor, Derek.”

I blink at him twice. Once for my visual clarity and the other to convince myself to take his advice.

There’s a voice on the phone Lydia is holding up to Braeden’s ear and she stops screaming almost instantly. Heaving a muddled cough into the receiver, the voice apologizes for not being able to make it in time but reminds her that she is strong enough to do this. She has to do this. A voice that melts against the senses, sings to her and Braeden’s cries quietly while Lydia smiles at her like she knows.

Smooth and comforting, the voice tells Braeden that she loves her and she’s a mother now so she can finally understand how much she does. Braeden’s still crying but responds that these babies mean the world to her. Her mother replies that’s what happens when you’re a parent and that you have to put them first.

“I’m scared.” It’s a small broken whisper that I’ve only heard from Braeden once before.

“Good. Parenting is the hardest thing you’ll ever do but you’re ready Braeden. You were always ready.”

Braeden is sniffling now, her eyes drying at the words of her mother.

“I love you,honey.”

“I love you, Momma.”

The line is silent but not dead as I watch my warrior gather all the strength she has left and resume her position. Lydia is still holding the phone. Melissa is watching cautiously as the silence stretches for a moment too long.

“Stop thinking, Braeden. They need you to do this for them. You are the only one who can do this.”

She sniffles and wipes at her nose but stays silent.

“Bring my grandsons home.”

Braeden shakes her head in agreement after a while like her mother is in the room with her and reaches for Melissa’s hand. They make eye contact and Lydia pulls the phone away from her ear, speaking into the receiver in a hushed tone. She giggled and said it was no problem and of course she’d come for dinner next week.

Scott moves toward the door and I move closer to Braeden. It is now or never. This is the first step on our journey to becoming a family.

I take her hand, look into her amazing tear lined eyes and we both take the deepest breath we’ve ever taken. Together.

Friday 6:14 PM

Nathaniel Thomas Hale is born. He slips out screaming for his life, covered in a film I can’t describe but I notice his shock of thick black hair immediately.

Melissa appears with a towel and wipes him off as Lydia anchors him to Braeden’s chest. He wails even louder and I’m sure I’m deaf now. As soon as his mother says his name out loud for the first time, his crying ceases down to a whine. We all look at each other and smile.

He knows who she is. He opened his eyes slowly and she says it again. They make eye contact and the tears are the most emotional I think she has ever cried. We both kiss him all over, even though he’s starting to get fussy. He has his mother’s eyes and nose, my hair and ears.

He is perfect.

Melissa brings over a deep blue beanie and places it on his head to protect his soft spot and he looks even more adorable than he did two seconds ago.

 

Friday 6:20 PM

Alexander Scott Hale made his debut appearance after his brother but was nonetheless memorable. He was absolutely silent as he was rubbed free of debris, capped with a green beanie and placed in Braeden’s arms. I panicked as I held our firstborn in my arms. Alex wasn’t crying.

Why wasn’t he crying?

But as I looked at my son in his mother’s arms, she stared down at him calmly and waited. Smoothing her finger across his cheek,he wiggled but didn’t open his eyes. She waited a little longer, opting to play with his fingers and he obliged by wrapping his entire hand around her pinky.

I handed Nathan to Lydia who just melted at holding her godson for the first time and moved closer to Alex & Braeden. He still hadn’t opened his eyes. Braeden took one look at me and told me to stop worrying that he was fine. I wasn’t sold but Lydia suggested that we turn down the lights. Melissa strolled over to the dimmer switch by the door and almost immediately Alex’s eyes fluttered open. He was alert and quiet and just fine.

He had the same thick black hair, tiny ears, button nose and shiny amber eyes as his older brother but differed from him in temperament completely.

 

 

Friday 6:30 PM

Lydia and Melissa were sent down to get the rest of the family after everyone was cleaned up and the room cleared of any bloody debris. Braeden was dressed in soft peach pajamas that made her look ethereal, sitting comfortably in bed, Nathan in her arms. He was sleeping peacefully in his white onesie that was emblazoned with three deep cuts that appeared like slashes  across the front while Alex had the same idea and was dreaming safely nestled in my arms as I sat on the edge of the bed beside my beautiful girlfriend. I fidgeted with his green hat as he rested and smiled at my son’s matching outfits. Alex was wearing a lightening bolt on the front of his onesie.

They had been gag gifts from Cora the last time she visited and Braeden loved them, so we chose them as their debut outfits.

I heard the room door swing open and in flooded our friends and family. Every bright smile was enough to light up a darkened alley.

A grinning Scott, Melissa, Stiles who looked awed by the sight of babies, Lydia, Peter and my sister Cora stood around the perimeter of the bed waiting to meet the newest additions.

I stood but it was Braeden who spoke first, though she never moved from her spot. “Everyone, I’d like for you to meet some people. This..” she said softly maneuvering the baby in her arms to face the crowd. “is Nathan.”

“Nathaniel Thomas Hale.” I finished, staring directly at Cora who understood immediately and tried to hold back her tears. We’d named him after my father, Thomas and Braeden’s dad, Nate.

Peter shook his head in pride and I could’ve sworn he sucked back a sniffle.

“And this is Alex” I said standing with the tiny bundle in my arms. “Alexander Scott Hale.”

As soon as I said it everyone’s head snapped in Scott’s direction. He was speechless as I walked toward him and placed the baby in his arms. He fumbled at first but I stayed close. Soon he looked like a natural holding my son.

Braeden who mouthed a silent "thank you" to Melissa. She nodded and smiled in return, stroking the baby's cheek gently as she hovered behind her child.

Scott stared at Alex, who continued sleeping in his arms. Braeden cleared her throat and handed Nathan to Cora beside her. She told Scott about our plans to make him Godfather, asked him if he accepted. He said yes with a watery smiled and said he could start today.

Everyone laughed. The babies started stirring and eventually they woke up and somehow were content with being passed from one set of arms to the next.

This was the new Hale family. This is what family looks like.

I take one long look around at everyone here- my friends, my girlfriend, my children, my uncle & sister and realize why I stayed in Beacon Hills all these years.

 

Beacon Hills is home, it always has been and always will be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (The song mentioned in this chapter was Sweet Lover- Justin Nozuka.) Did you like it? I love happy endings especially with my favorite pairings. Tell me what you think and I might write more on the new Hale family. Until then, lovies!

**Author's Note:**

> Draeden babies!! Woo-woop! Can you imagine Braeden with a big belly? Me and my feels can!! What did you guys think,did you like it? Leave a comment so I don't feel like a failure. Until next time loves!!


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